1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to industrial washing equipment, and more specifically, to a system for containing vapors and recovering liquid solvent from the vapors in a general parts washer apparatus, wherein a solvent is used to clean various articles in a wash basin, sink or like wash area.
2. Description of the Related Art
Liquid solvents are used in many industries throughout the world to clean a variety of articles including engine parts, machine parts, paint spraying equipment, and the like. Often, solvents are used in industrial washing equipment and, particularly, in general parts washers of the type having a sink, basin or like washing area which is normally enclosed by a hood or cover when not in use.
Presently, there are nearly two million parts washing machines used daily in the United States. Many of these machines are provided with a sink or wash basin into which a liquid solvent is released from a spigot or hose in order to wash various articles therein. In the normal parts washing process, liquid solvent is sprayed onto the surfaces of the sink or wash area. Thereafter, the solvent quickly evaporates from the sink surfaces and enters the surrounding atmosphere. In fact, it is estimated that the use of solvents in parts cleaning operations throughout the U.S. results in thousands, and possibly millions of gallons of solvent being lost per year due to evaporation.
Accordingly, there is an urgent need in the industrial parts cleaning industry for a system and method which is specifically adapted to contain vapors within industrial washing equipment and to recover solvent from the vapors for subsequent use.